Read Online Death 07 - For the Love of Death by Tamara Rose Blodgett - Free Book Online Page B

without really knowing what the acronym stands for. The metal thing that does the Body Snatcher bellow.
    Yeah, that.
    “We’re going to have to set that arm.”
    “I know. I’m Organic.”
    Her brows collide. “You are?”
    God.
    “Yes. I mean, on my world.”
    Her frown deepens.
    I wave my hand around. “Just set the thing, and I can heal it.”
    She flattens her lips. “I don’t know if you’re in any shape to do anything, young man.”
    I roll my eyes.
    “Fine.” She reaches her hand out, hovering above my core.
    George looks on with interest.
    Jezebel scoots her chair further away from him.
    Her hand holds position for about three seconds. “No, your energy is depleted.”
    I grit my teeth, and our eyes lock.
    She makes a disgusted noise.
    I scream when she straightens my arm.
    Then blackness swallows my vision.
    My consciousness disappears along with it.
     
    *
     
    I wake in jagged pieces of awareness.
    Of course, the yelling doesn't help.
    “I have jurisdiction here. This patient falls under HIPAA privacy.”
    “This human scans paranormal.”
    “So we turn away another human being who needs medical attention because they’re different? If this isn’t segregation, I don’t know what is!”
    I crack an eye open at the S word. Haven’t heard that in forever.
    George stands guard. His readiness tells me the poo-poo is about to hit the oscillating device.
    Two bots crowd the hole in the open door. An actual human being scans the interior of the small clinic room I’m in.
    “His ALB-scan comes up deceased,” the man says from the door.
    The human dude.
    He folds his arms across his chest, glaring at Jezebel. “Explain that.”
    “I can’t. But I can say his broken arm needs time. It was a compound humerus fracture and had begun to heal wrong.”
    He ignores her. “We will take him for questioning.”
    I shut my eye on instinct, and his stare burns over me.
    “My ALBs also detect reanimated humanoid.”
    I blink my eye open again, and he’s already moving his gaze to her.
    Jezebel sweeps her hand around the room. “Do you see a corpse, Dale?”
    I can feel him stewing in his own shit.
    Loving it. It’s the little things.
    “No,” he admits.
    “Just go. I will pulse-communicate when he awakens.”
    The silence builds.
    “Fine.” A pause. “But you understand the error rate on an ALB scans—”
    “Is nearly zero,” Jezebel interrupts. “Yes, I'm aware.”
    “Pulse me,” Dale the Douche barks.
    “I said I would.”
    The door slams shut and she throws what sounds like a bolt.
    They couldn't have missed the headless bot out there?
    George is there, hands underneath my armpits.
    Jezebel turns to me. “Now tell me I didn’t just invite incarceration for no good reason.”
    “No.”
    Jezebel looks to George again. “And what’s with him?”
    “Can you?” I point to my mending arm.
    She nods, holding out her palm.
    I slip my right hand into hers.
    Our power bursts over us, flowing from our connected hands to the palm she holds over my arm.
    Blissful relief flows over me as the pain moves to aching.
    After five minutes, it's gone.
    We let go and I lay back and begin to speak.
    She doesn't interrupt once.

CHAPTER ELEVEN
    Deegan
     
    The low keen of a sirens wail in the distance as I hold on for dear life.
    More dear now that I’m lost in a world where an enemy has already killed me and heals as I escape.
    We stop, and my zombie’s arms loosen as I slide down.
    Did I mention I suck at control? I long for Pax. He’d have such a handle on this.
    The zombie turns and I gasp.
    He’s beautiful and alive.
    His eyes, so deep a midnight blue they’re black velvet kissed by the ocean. His olive skin is rich and dusky, not a hint of ruddiness, cafe au lait. Truly black hair, like mine, is a tight cap just shy of curly that covers his head.
    He grins and his mouth is pink, every tooth straight and whole.
    This is where my control really is bad. I raise him by accident then do a mediocre job.